Finally finished! In a burst of inspiration, I wrote this chapter in like three days. Hope you like it!
-Merodi-chan, 12.10.06
PART III
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Riku tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her heart that was telling her she was wrong. Now more than ever, she had to believe in herself. This was no time to be recalling what They had told her after her first case. She shook her head and stared straight ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of anything or anyone in front. Her heart pounded heavily; her breathing was labored. But it wasn't too long before she emerged from the corridor onto a small platform edged off with a rail.
--
Daisuke dragged the heavy marble statue another few feet forward before setting it down with a grunt. As before, he resettled the dust behind him to erase the marks he had made. The stone-faced princess remained emotionless as she held the large white sphere in her arms steady. Continuing on this way, he had just reached the edge of the balcony when the sound of heels beating a brisk staccato tempo on the ground made him instinctively conceal himself and his prize. Maybe it's just a stray museum patron, he thought. Or maybe not!
--
She stood there with her hands on her knees, panting and trying to regain her breath. The cool night air caressed her red face as she slowly straightened. She was about to accuse Dark of taking the statue when she noticed that there was no one with her. She had failed again.
Tears stung her eyes as she leaned onto the railing. The wind had picked up, blowing directly into her face. All of her hard work had been for nothing, because she had decided to take this case upon herself. It wasn't one that she had needed to investigate in the first place, but she'd done it anyway. And now, her reputation, especially her standing with the police, was ruined.
The public really is a harsh master, Riku thought as she gazed out over the night scene of the city she lived in. Her vision blurred as fresh liquid slid over her eyes and down her cheeks. All her life she had worked to please the people, but she had known this day would come. Now, because of an unneeded risk… Even the slightest mistake could destroy the strongest trust. She knew that firsthand.
S-satoshi? What are you doing?
N-no! Stay- stay away from me!
Don't touch me!
The painful memories that tore through her reduced her to a tightly coiled ball on the floor of the balcony. Sadness cut her heart like a sharp knife. Now numb and confused, she barely noticed as she unwound herself and moved slowly toward the edge. Her arms found the top of the railing and prepared to hoist the rest of her body over, but an unexpected pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her back.
"What do you think you're doing?"
She looked up at the blurry face in a daze. "I'm going away…" She tried to get up again, but the arms held her down. Those are some strong arms, she thought hazily.
"Stop it!"
"Let me go… I wanna fly…"
"If you're not going to listen to me, we'll just have to do this the hard way."
The arms shifted and a pair of warm lips met her own. The kiss brought her back to her senses. Her vision cleared to reveal a familiar face.
"Daisuke? But your hair's a dif- Oh, wait; I get it. You're Dark?"
"Um, yeah."
"So," she continued, "you knew who I was and what I was doing the whole time?"
"Um, yeah."
"Is that all you can say?"
"Um, yeah. But listen; I, um, I know this is sudden, but, uh, I think I-I think I'm in love with you." He was staring at her seriously, leaving her at a loss for words. When Riku finally got her voice back, everything came out in one burst.
"B-but we just met, and we've only talked once, and I'm supposed to turn you in, and I think I'm love with you too, uh, and I wasn't supposed to say that." Her cheeks flared bright red. "I, um, yeah. Okay."
He gave a small smile. "So, then, it's okay if I kiss you again?"
"I, um, s-sure."
Daisuke leaned in again, and this time, he washed away all of the doubt and hurt she had experienced with Satoshi. Her heart throbbed again, but this pain was good; it reminded her of life, and of the future ahead of her. For the first time, she found a person who she could place her complete trust in, who filled in the gap she'd had her whole life.
-Lemon Alert!-
Just kidding. Really, there's no lemon. Nothing happened. What? Why are you looking at me like that?
-End Lemon Alert-
"So, are you going to turn me in?"
They sat in each other's arms against the balcony railing, watching the stars above and the tiny lights below.
"…Nah. I'll let the police bust their brains trying to catch you. You know, I wasn't sure I'd picked the right way tonight." She giggled. "How do you do it?" she asked as a change of subject. "How did you manage to outfox everyone?"
"You found me, didn't you?"
Riku hit his arm lightly in reply. "Everyone else."
"You're, uh, not going to like the answer."
"Tell me. I'm curious."
"As an example, the Shirahime no Tsuki" -he pointed to a shadowy corner- "is right over there. And the rest, well, why don't I just show you instead of telling you?"
Daisuke held Riku close against his body as he unfurled what seemed to be a large pair of black wings. Riku twisted her head around to see, but he was already moving. In the direction she was so determined to go earlier.
"Wait, no! What are you doing? We'll get killed!"
"Trust me…!"
They were falling, and he had to shout to be heard. Riku's ears were filled with the sound of rushing wind, and her stomach had forced itself into her throat. She curled herself up in the anticipation of a fall and began to mentally berate herself for falling in love with a stranger that just so happened to be a master thief. After all, who knows what kinds of tools they have to accomplish their work? This one just so happened to be experiencing some malfunctions.
Suddenly, the descent stopped as she heard the swoosh of huge wings. They were rising now, and then, Daisuke picked up speed. He flew into the now-dark sky with a wild grin on his lips, caught up in the excitement of flight. As his wings propelled them through the night air, Daisuke's voice whispered in her ear, "Are you enjoying this yet?"
She gave him a shaky smile, and then made the mistake of looking down.
--
As her piercing shriek cut through the silence, Daisuke could almost sense the lights turning on below them. He sighed heavily. If she were just a little louder… He stopped, flapping his wings vertically to stay up. Riku flailed in his arms, making it hard to stay aloft.
"Riku, will you stop that? I won't let you fall! Besides, you said you wanted to fly, didn't you?"
That made her break off in mid-scream. "I did?"
"Yes, you- oh, never mind," he replied, realizing that she wouldn't remember anything she'd said before. "Please don't yell like that. You're not going to fall, and someone might see us."
"Oh. Sorry."
--
She was quiet for the rest of the flight, happy to just be with Daisuke at that particular moment, happy to just be, for once, happy. Contentedly, she rested in his firm grasp while watching the scenery below. This flying feeling wasn't so bad once she got used to it.
Then, her cell phone rang. Well, actually, it sort of vibrated, but the surprise was the same. Stifling another shriek, Riku pulled out the phone and inwardly groaned. It was Risa.
"Miss Riku, I just got a call from police headquarters. They say you're under arrest for interfering with an official police-marked crime scene, among other charges, and they want you to turn yourself in or they'll launch a full-scale search." Risa paused. "Miss Riku, you're a criminal now, did you know that?" The worry in Risa's voice was clearly audible, and it almost broke Riku's heart to know that her assistant cared so much.
"Don't worry, Risa. It's all taken care of… The police are listening in right now, aren't they?" Riku chuckled as she envisioned, and quite correctly, Risa's frantic nod that accompanied the affirmation. "Risa… I don't think I'll be able to see you again, but…" She gulped. "Thanks for all your help throughout the years."
"S-so, I guess this is goodbye…?" Risa asked through her tears.
"I'm afraid so. Listen, I set aside a separate bank account for you where I've been keeping some money. You should know the code. I wish you good luck with whatever you do next, dear friend." Visibly choked with emotion, Riku hung up, while Daisuke tightened his hug.
After a few minutes of silent flight, he asked, "So, does that mean you're free to travel?"
"Huh?"
"Well, we're both wanted criminals, aren't we?" He grinned.
"I guess we are." She smiled in reply. Her future was definitely looking up. "Where to?"
"Anywhere and everywhere."
--
TOKYO NEWSPAPER
Disappeared Detective Urban Legend?
Harada Riku, to many of the older generation, a beacon of truth. The one-time legendary detective was said to have been able to solve any number of cases. But is the story true? Said to have mysteriously disappeared about a decade ago, Harada is a figure that regularly haunts society.
"I know I've seen her," said one interviewed citizen. Another claimed to have hired the apparently famous woman to shadow her husband. In any case, no other information could be found about Harada other than from the people.
Short reddish hair, brown eyes, medium height. A woman matching this description has been spotted in a number of different cities spanning continents, always in the company of a tall, dark-haired man. It is to be noted that witnesses have reported a diamond ring on the left hand of this woman, and anyone who remember Harada here do not recall such a ring.
Is she real? Who knows? But the stories of her work and person have found their way into legend.
In other news, the "Diamond Ring Case" that was opened about ten years ago has now been reported to be a cold case by Police Force Captain Hiwatori Satoshi.